 Originally Posted by Cykotic
I just got my hands on a Canon EOS 1100D DSLR Camera, a shoulder rig and a new tripod and I'm just wondering something... Is making videos with a DSLR easier, harder or just the same as using a video camera? I've always used normal consumer camcorders and some of them have been pretty... meh
Also, if the internal mic is not very good and there is no mic jack, is it still possible to get good sound using an external sound capture device... if so, I'll just go that route and sync it up in Premiere Pro.
DSLR is a great route to go down. For starters, even an entry-level DSLR has a far larger sensor than an average consumer-grade camcorder giving you a much more high quality, film-like look to the video, with better light performance dependent on the lens. You also have full manual focus (the ability to subtly shift attention from front to back of shot, and add background blur to subjects - aka. bokeh - adds a lot of visual punch and will be a revelation to anyone moving up from camcorders and their dictatorial idiot-proof autofocus), manual zoom ring (complete, accurate control; no more clunky buttons), and the option of interchangeable lenses for different types of shot. These things tend not to be available on camcorders, with the exception of professional models costing many times more than a basic DSLR.
An external sound capture device should do the job, provided you put someone reliable in charge of it. Frankly, it's best to record audio on a separate device anyway, usually, and combine it with your video later. That way you can film at any distance away from your subjects, and still get sound from them without cables trailing into shot, tripping people up, or trailing behind the camera as you try to move around. Keep your mic guy just out of shot or hide him behind some furniture or scenery as close to the subjects as possible, and ask him to point the mic at them, holding it as tightly and motionlessly as possible to avoid handling noise. When I was working with my mate on his final film student project (for which he earned a first class honours, and was shot on a DSLR), we borrowed one of these from his college, and hooked it up to one of these, and the results were superb. Those are pretty expensive, but there are cheaper recorders and cheaper shotgun mics if you look around, just do some research to avoid ending up with a glorified PC mic.
Your main limitation with the 1100D, and a big part of the reason I ended up plumping up for the 550D, is that it can only shoot 1080p video at 20 frames per second due to its limited processing power. This is a strange, non-standard framerate, markedly slower than film or video, more stuttery and therefore not really suitable for anything other than casual family use. It can shoot lower-res SD video at standard framerates, but if you are serious about DSLR film-making, I'd think about selling the 1100D body and upgrading to a 600D (£360 at DigitalRev, body only) if/when you can afford it, holding on to your lenses. The 550/600/650D can shoot 1080p up to 60fps, including the film standard of 24fps which will make your picture move and look like proper cinema film. Obviously, spend some time practicing and getting a feel for it with the 1100D in the meantime.
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